All I Want For Christmas
by Keiko Fujiwara
Summary: Just a Christmas special of our favorite BATB couple! :) Enjoy!


**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BATB!**

**All I Want for Christmas**

**~A BATB Christmas Special~**

**Keiko Fujiwara**

I sighed. Christmas is just a day away and I still haven't found the perfect gift for Vincent. Heck, I don't even know if he and JT celebrate Christmas. I regret not going with Dad, Brooke and Heather to New Jersey for the holiday but someone has to do the filing while all of the other officers are off-duty. The two main reasons why I didn't go with them was because, well one, there's work and two, I wanted…well, rather hoping….I'd get to share the holiday with a certain someone. Besides, even if I don't get to spend Christmas with Vincent, at least I'm letting the other officers spend time with their families.

I volunteered to take the shift for tonight (Christmas Eve Eve) and tomorrow night's as well as two shifts on Christmas Day. I mean, look at the bright side; at least I'd be getting paid more for the season. During the Christmas holiday, there are two volunteers who stay in case something happens. For the past four years, I have been one of them. I lie to my sister and father and tell them that I don't choose my schedule—that I was just in the rotation but…in all honesty? I'd rather be the one working on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day because I don't have people waiting for me when I get home. Heather moved back with Dad and Brooke about two weeks ago because it was closer to her new job. So…Here I am…Once again.

It looks like I'll probably be spending Christmas alone this year—again.

"Lost in your thoughts?" Evan said, causing me to jump.

"E-evan! I thought you were headed home for the holiday!" I stated as Evan was putting on his gloves.

"I am. I just wanted to clean the lab before I leave for London. What are you still doing here? Don't you have a sister and a newly-wedded father to go home to?"

"Heather went to spend Christmas with Brooke's family along with my dad."

"Oh. Well, I hope you have a happy Christmas with whomever your spending it with."

"Thanks, Evan. You too." I smiled as he left.

Tonight is going to be a long night. That's for sure.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

It was around 6 A.M. when I finally took off for home. Joe told me to at least spend the majority of Christmas Eve at home before I come back for my double shift. If only there was some small amount of time to spend a little holiday cheer with Vincent. Oh well.

I kicked off my shoes and jumped onto my bed. I was only planning on sleeping until noon. Who knew I'd have slept through the whole day!

As I stirred in my bed, I heard a familiar raspy voice. "If you sleep any longer, you're going to miss Christmas."

"V-Vincent!" I exclaimed, nearly falling off my bed.

"Good Evening." He chuckled.

"What time is it?" I asked, groggily.

"About four in the afternoon."

"FOUR IN THE AFTERNOON!?" Great. Christmas Eve was wasted. Looks like I can't do any shopping today.

"Yeah."

"Holy smokes! I have two hours until I have to leave!" I immediately jumped out of the bed and turned on the water of the shower.

As I grabbed a fresh pair of clothes, Vincent said, "Where're you going on Christmas Eve? Work party?"

"I have work." I replied. "Hey, I gotta shower so if you still wanna talk, you can come into the bathroom when I give you the consent."

"Oh…alright." I could have sworn I saw a blush forming on his cheeks.

As quickly as I could, I went into the bathroom, cracked the door open and then stripped out of my clothes before hopping into the shower.

"Alright, you can come in now." I said, knowing he'd hear me.

I heard the door swing open and close before Vincent said, "You're working on Christmas Eve?"

"Yeah. I volunteered to work tonight as well as all day tomorrow." I said as I shampooed my hair.

"Oh." He replied.

"What are you and JT planning?" I asked.

"JT is spending the holiday with his family in Connecticut."

"Oh." I said. I thought JT was a NYC native. Then again, maybe his parents moved from here.

"Yeah. So…when do you get off from your shift tonight?" he asked while I lathered my body in soap.

"Well, I get done at midnight tonight because Joe wants to take over. He hates his wife so he'd rather spend the day with her than the late night. Tomorrow, I work from nine in the morning until midnight."

"Oh…You're working a double shift?"

"Yeah…they put me on the rotation." I lied. I didn't want to tell him that I actually volunteered to spend all of Christmas at the precinct.

"You're lying." He stated, unmoved.

Drat. "You know me like a book." I said. "I wasn't assigned for the rotation. I volunteered to work at the precinct all day Christmas."

"Why didn't you just say that, then?" he asked.

"Because…I didn't want to have to explain myself."

"You don't have to, Catherine. I get it." He looked hurt. I wonder if…

"Vincent, you don't think I'm working all day because I was trying to avoid spending Christmas with you, did you?"

He was silent. I pulled the curtain back a little bit and looked at him.

"Vincent, I work during Christmas Day because I have been doing so for the past four years. It has nothing to do with you, I promise. It's just…I…I lost my mother when I was a freshman in college. Sure, she wasn't a cop but she was killed close to Christmas time. I…For the past several years, I didn't really have anyone to spend the holiday with. My sister would always spend it with Dad and well…I always told them I had work. I just...well…the other officers have families, Vincent. I don't want them to be spending Christmas in a precinct when they could be spending it with their families because it may be their last. I don't want to put other families through that pain if I can help it. That's why I work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."

To change the subject, Vincent said, "So…do you wanna hang out tonight after your shift?"

"I can't. Vincent, I'm sorry. I would love to but I have to go to the store on my way home as well as sleep before tomorrow's long shift."

"Oh. Right." He replied as I turned off the water. He handed me my towel and I took it from him. As I dried myself off, he said, "I'll wait back in your room."

"Okay." I stated as he walked out of the bathroom. I quickly redressed myself and dried my hair.

I walked out of the bathroom and went over to my vanity to change out my earrings. "Look Vincent, I'm sorry. If I knew that JT was going out of town and that you wanted to spend Christmas with me, I would have not asked for the Christmas Day shift."

"That's my fault, Catherine. Not yours. I guess I shouldn't have hoped you were free without consulting you first." He replied as I gestured him to help me clasp my necklace around my neck. He walked over as he pulled out his hands from his pockets and attached the necklace's clasp together.

"New Years?" I asked with hope.

He smiled, "Definitely."

I quickly reapplied my makeup before saying, "I'm going to order a pizza. Gotta eat something before going to work tonight."

"Oh. Okay. Well, I guess I'll get going." He said as he turned for the fire escape.

"No!" I exclaimed. "I mean…Why don't you stay for a while. I can't eat an entire pizza box by myself and I never keep leftovers anyway."

He suddenly smirked as he walked back over and said, "I would hope you don't eat pizza boxes. Last time I checked, they were not very edible."

I gave him a playful smack in the arm before heading towards the kitchen. "I'll go ahead and order the pizza. Make yourself comfortable on the couch."

"Okay." He replied as I heard him sit down on the sofa.

"Hi…I'd like a large cheese pizza with breadsticks….Apartment complex 272 Markwell Avenue…apartment number 513….Chandler….Okay, thanks. Bye." I put the phone back on its base and looked at the clock. 4:45. At least Vincent and I will be able to spend a little bit of time together.

As we waited for the pizza to arrive, Vincent and I decided to talk about our Christmas family traditions.

"Before my mom died, we used to take a trip to China every other year and visit my grandparents. During the years we spent Christmas in the States, my father would take us to the Niagara Falls. He told us that, at the stroke of midnight on of Christmas morning, you can hear every Christmas wish of all of the children in the world. Silly right?" I laughed.

Vincent chuckled and said, "How long did it take you to realize he was just pulling your leg?"

"I don't know…After my mom died, we stopped going to the falls. My father just didn't have the Christmas Spirit to take us anymore. I focused more on my studies and Heather was busy making sure Dad didn't lose his mind. Her death was hard on all of us…especially during Christmas time. What about you? What's your favorite tradition?"

He was quiet for a moment before answering, "One year…my brothers and I traveled to Ellis Island and went to the top of the Statue of Liberty around eleven-thirty on Christmas Eve. We stayed up there for a good hour or so and my oldest brother, Timothy, told Jonathan and I that he planned on seeing the world and the view in front of us was only a small portion of it." he suddenly laughed. "We got home that night and my parents were furious with us. They said they were about to call the cops if we didn't come home within the next hour."

"You didn't tell your parents where you were going?" I laughed.

"No. After Christmas Day, we were grounded for a month."

"A month?! How old were you?"

"Timothy was seventeen…Jonathan was fourteen and I was twelve. Luckily, the following years, our parents allowed us to go again. We even convinced JT—who is deathly afraid of heights—to join us. Then…Timothy and Jonathan died in the Twin Towers…and I haven't been there since. I guess you could say I couldn't bring myself to go up there…not without them at least."

As I was about to reach up and caress his cheek, I heard a knock on the door.

"Looks like the pizza is here." Vincent stated as I stood up.

I grabbed my wallet and pulled out a twenty. I opened the door, took the pizza and the breadstick and gave the delivery boy the money. "Keep the change."

We ate the pizza and breadsticks in silence. I looked at the clock once more. 5:15.

"Vincent, I want you to know that I really wish I could spend tonight and tomorrow with you."

"I know." He smiled. "I guess I'll give you your present the day after Christmas?"

"Yeah…I'm off that day. We can celebrate then if you want."

"Sounds like a plan." Vincent said as he threw the pizza box away. "Thanks for the pizza. I guess I better go so you're not late."

"Where will you be?" I asked.

"Around. If something happens while I'm out and about, I'll call you. Okay?"

I nodded and turned to look back at him but he was gone. Gone like the wind.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

Work tonight was going slow. Because Tess was in Alaska, visiting her oldest brother, I couldn't exactly do any field work—especially since I told Brandon—the custodian—that I would lock things up for him. Joe had called and told me he couldn't make it for the late night shift so, it looks like I'll be here for another all-nighter. He told me he'd make it up to me and that I could go home and sleep the day off before taking on the Christmas night shift.

I pulled out my cell phone and called Vincent.

"Hello?"

"Hey…"

"Is something wrong?" he asked with worry.

"No. Nothing is wrong…at least, nothing as of yet. The Boss just called. He can't make it tonight so looks like I'll be at the precinct until 6 AM again."

"Will you be working the day shift tomorrow?"

"No…he's letting me sleep…but then I'll have to be back for the night shift again." I said.

"Doesn't sound very fun."

"Trust me, it isn't. Desk duty is a pain in the ass—especially when doing it all night long."

"Well…if you need anything…just call." Vincent said. "Let me know if you need help or anything."

"Thanks. I don't think I will but I'll let you know." I smiled. "I'll see you Wednesday?"

"Yeah. See you then." Vincent replied before I heard the dial tone. I put my cell back into my pocket and sighed. Joe seriously owes me for this one.

Once again, my shift ended at 6 in the morning. I locked up the precinct and headed towards my car. Suddenly, a black SUV pulled up and the mirror rolled down.

"Hello Catherine Chandler."

"Don't you guys have anything better to do on Christmas? I mean, you do have families don't you?" I said, pulling out my gun. Damn. I was seriously tired. I don't know if I'd be able to aim correctly.

"No need to pull out your weapon. We just wanted to let you know that you'll want to enjoy your holiday because, like your mother's, your holidays are numbered."

"Y-you have no right to bring up my mother!" I spat. "Come out here like men!"

Bad choice. The door opened and a tall man, twice my size, stepped out and closed the door. Before I could say or do anything, I felt his fist impact with my stomach, sending me straight into a brick wall. I felt the air knock out of my lungs as the large man got back into the SUV. The man in the passenger seat said, "Let that be your one and only warning, Catherine Chandler."

And before I could get a second glance, they were gone.

Great. Just great.

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the one person I thought could help me at a time like this—Vincent. "Hello?"

I didn't respond…I couldn't respond.

"Catherine?"

I tried to make a sound but nothing came out.

"Catherine, what's going on? Are you okay?"

I felt useless not being able to talk to him. Suddenly, my lungs started wheezing and I could hear myself gasping for air.

"I'm on my way to the precinct, Catherine!" he nearly shouted. I wonder how he knew I was still in front of the precinct. Anyways, that really didn't matter.

In a matter of minutes, Vincent came running towards me. "What happened?!"

My air had mostly come back to me and I whispered, "Muirfield."

He picked me up and said, "Hang on. I'm taking you back to your apartment."

I nodded as I wiped the blood from my chin. I must have either bitten my lip when my back collided with the brick wall or it was from when that dbag punched me. Even though I was in physical pain, it felt nice to be this close to Vincent. He felt very warm.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

Vincent let my shirt hem go back down and said, "Luckily the padding of your coat dispersed most of the damage. It appears as if there are no broken bones…Just a bruise. Same with your back, your coat helped cushion your impact, just knocking the breath out of you. Is your neck sore?"

"A little."

He placed his fingers on my neck and slowly rubbed them against my skin, searching for tender spots. "You have a slight whiplash—nothing too major. I say just keep it easy, okay?"

I nodded. "Thanks."

"Anytime. Now, as your privately practiced doctor, I'm ordering you to sleep until your next shift. Okay?"

"Since when were you my private doctor?"

"Since you decided to make it a habit and get into fights." He winked.

"Oh no!"

"What?"

"My car! It's still at the precinct!"

"Don't worry about it. Give me the keys and I'll fetch it. Okay?"

"The keys are in my right coat pocket." I said as he walked over to where my coat was.

"Got them. Now go and get some rest. After I drop of your car, I'll come by and check up on you. Okay?"

I nodded. "Do you know where to park the car?"

"Yeah…I follow you around, remember?" he smirked.

"Vincent?"

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas." I whisper.

"Merry Christmas Catherine." he replied before disappearing into the night. I wonder if I'll ever get tired of that.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

Just as Vincent said he would, he came back and checked on me as he returned my keys. I was in pain but I'll survive. Around noon, I received a call from the NYPD Precinct.

"Chandler." I said, groggily.

"I hate to say this but I need you here, Chandler. I know I promised you the day shift off but there's been a double homicide and you're one of the few field agents not on vacation. I'm teaming you up with Detective Philmore. Can you be over here in ten minutes?"

"Depends on where 'here' is." I groaned.

"McDonalds at Time Square."

"Alright…I'll be there as soon as I can." I said. Maybe I can get some food there as well.

"You know, your boss expects too much of you." Vincent said.

"I have no choice, Vincent. If it weren't for Christmas, it would be a different team working on the case. Believe me. But it isn't."

"You haven't had enough sleep yet, Catherine."

"I'll be fine. I promise. If you want, I'll call every once in a while. Okay?"

He sighed, knowing he couldn't win the argument. I slid out of bed and brushed my teeth before brushing my hair. I didn't bother changing or taking a shower. This is Joe's fault for making me come in today so he'll have to suffer through my morning B.O.

"Do you want something to eat before you go?" Vincent asked as he opened my fridge.

"Nah…I'll just order something from Time Square." I replied before leaving him in my apartment. I knew he wouldn't be too far behind. He always follows.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

I grabbed a French Vanilla Cappuccino on my way to the McDonalds in Time Square. I was in desperate need of caffeine.

"Chandler, what took you so long?!"

"Sorry, Joe, traffic is a bitch on Christmas." I said. "Who is the vic?"

Even after six years on the force, it sometimes sickened me to see what people are capable of. I pulled back the white cloth and immediately dropped it. Her face had festering blisters and multiple burns.

"Stephanie Andrews—four months pregnant." Joe replied. "Since Evan is in London right now, Eric—Evan's colleague from the 20th Precinct, will be assisting us with the case. I want you and Detective Philmore to find out who the SOB is. Got that?"

"On it." Sam replied. We walked towards the crime scene and he said, "You look like you could use a month's worth of sleep."

"You're telling me. I only slept a solid 4 hours last night. And only 6 the previous night. Joe soooo owes me right now."

Sam laughed and said, "From what Eric said, the vic was stabbed with a utensil of some sort before dumped into the Fry grease. Unfortunately, she was thrown into the grease while still alive."

"Who would do such a thing?!" I asked rhetorically.

"That's our job, remember?" Sam replied. "I'm guessing the perp was a worker. I'll go talk to the McDonalds manager and see what I find out. You should literally buy another cappuccino. You look like you'll need at least six more."

"I think I just lost my appetite for one." I replied as he walked away. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Vincent.

"Hello?" I whispered.

"Hey…got a minute?"

"Yeah…where are you?"

"Around the corner of TGI Fridays." Vincent stated. I walked over to him and he was carrying a box of Dunkin' Donuts.

"Very Funny, Vincent. Not all cops like Donuts, you know?" I stated.

"I know…but I remember from a certain profile you filed out, donuts are your favorite treat. I thought you might like some since it'll be a long day. Besides, is there anything I can do to help your case?"

I took a donut from the box and said, "The vic is Stephanie Andrews…she was four months pregnant when some dbag stabbed her and then dumped her body into the McDonald fry grease. It's disgusting what heinous people are capable of. She was still alive when the perp dumped her in the grease."

"Is there anything else? Was there a witness?"

"Sam—Detective Philmore—is talking to the manager now." I said. "As far as anything else? No, we don't know anything. I'll keep you posted though."

"Okay. On my way here, I did smell blood trailing from the restaurant but I guess I didn't think anything of it. I can track it if you want."

"No…just show me where you smelled it. I'll track it."

Vincent took me to the spot and said, "This is where I smelled the blood…as I got closer to McDonalds, the smell was stronger. Wait! What's that over there?"

We saw a shiny object covered in blood.

"I think that's the murder weapon. We might be able to get prints off of this. Thanks, Vincent. This'll help us get the bastard."

I put on a pair of gloves and picked up what looked like a bloody ice pick. "Listen, Vincent. It's in the middle of the day, Vincent. You should probably go." I said and then immediately added, "Thank you for everything you've done. I really appreciate it. I'll call you later. Okay?"

"Alright." He replied before kissing the top of my head. "I'll see you later."

"Okay."

And he was gone. Before Sam could start to look for me, I hurried back to McDonalds to show him what Vincent found.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

"Any luck with prints?" I asked Eric. It was weird not having Evan down here in the morgue.

"Yeah…I found one that belonged to a Richard Munie."

"Did you say Richard Munie?" Sam asked.

"Yeah."

"Richard Munie was one of the assistant managers. Shelby Carson, the manager, said that he showed up very angry and left shortly afterwards." Sam stated.

"Looks like he might be our perp. Eric, can you look up his address?"

"Already done." Eric replied, handing me a piece of paper. "Here's a warrant as well."

"Alright. Let's go." I said, leading Sam out of the precinct.

In no time, we were at his apartment, banging on his door.

"Mr. Richard Munie! NYPD! Open up!" I shouted.

Nothing.

"Mr. Richard Munie! We have a warrant!"

Suddenly, we heard loud noises coming from the inside of the apartment.

"Damn! He's escaping!" Sam shouted. "I'll go back down to the street. See if you can get him from the top."

"Okay!" I replied, kicking the door open. I ran to the fire escape and sure enough, a man was trying to escape. He shot at me but barely missed. This isn't good. I started climbing my way down and said, "Put down your gun!"

He fired again, grazing my arm. When we reached the bottom, he started making a run for it. Sam started bolting towards the perp's direction. He was going to shoot Sam if I didn't think of something quickly. In all efforts to save my co-worker, I leaped from the second level of the fire escape and knocked the perp down, skinning my knee in the process.

"Mr. Munie, you are under arrest for the attempted murder and assault of an officer of the law. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense." Sam said as he locked handcuffs around Richard Munie's wrists.

Sam helped him into the squad car as I sat in the passenger's seat, placing Mr. Munie's gun in an evidence bag. Something tells me he's our guy.

Because he shot at me twice, we have the right to hold him for 48 hours for questioning. Joe decided to put the questioning off so others can go home early.

"Joe!" I exclaimed as I caught up to him. "I would like to question him. I do have the night shift still so I'd like to do SOMETHING while staying here."

"No. Sorry, Cat, but it would be against protocol. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow." He said.

So as everyone left, I sat at my desk and just stared at the wall. Yup. Another freaking Christmas wasted. About four hours later, 10 PM, Joe walked in and said, "Cat."

"Yeah?"

"Go enjoy the rest of your holiday. For the kick-ass hard work you did today, you deserve it. Hell, take tomorrow off too. I'd be a rotten boss if I made you come back tomorrow."

"Thanks Joe. It really means a lot to me." I smiled as I put on my coat.

"Think of it as a Christmas present."

"I will." I replied, leaving the precinct. I unlocked my car and slid in. The only thing I wanted to do right now was drive to the warehouse and spend my last two hours of Christmas with Vincent. As fast as I could, I drove to the warehouse and unlocked the front door. Since I've become such a regular to Vincent and JT, JT gave me my own key even though he told me not to read into it. He said it would be good to have a key in case Vincent needed help and he wasn't around.

"Vincent?" I called. No one here. That's weird. I called his phone. No answer. Where the hell was he?

I felt a sickening feeling in my stomach. What if…What if Muirfield got to him?! I ran back to my car and sped away from the warehouse. Maybe he was at my apartment waiting for me.

I hurried to my apartment, anxious to see Vincent waiting in my room. No. He wasn't there either. I opened my window and looked out onto the fire escape. Still no Vincent.

As I made it towards the front door of my apartment, I heard someone say, "Hello Catherine? Remember me?"

The next thing I know, my mouth was covered with a chloroform-coated handkerchief and I blacked out.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

I opened my eyes and had a splitting headache. What happened? Why do I feel like I'm flying? As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I felt a long rope tied against my wrists and tied to something else. What was it?

"GLAD TO SEE YOU'RE AWAKE, CATHERINE CHANDLER!" a man shouted over a helicopter.

Why is he in a helicopter? Suddenly, as my feet tried to find solid surface, none were available. I looked down and nearly screamed when I realized where I was.

"IT'S NO USE SCREAMING CATHERINE CHANDLER! NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU FROM UP HERE!" he yelled.

I immediately shut my eyes, praying I was somewhere else but every time I opened them back up, the results were the same. Suddenly, I heard ticking and looked up. There was a bomb right near where the rope was tied to.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE HEEDED MY WARNING! AS OF RIGHT NOW, YOU ONLY HAVE ONE AND A HALF HOURS TO LIVE! AT THE STRIKE OF MIDNIGHT, THE BOMB WILL EXPLODE JUST ENOUGH TO DESTROY YOUR ROPE AND, BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, YOU'LL SPLAT ONTO THE CONCRETE BELOW YOU!"

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO VINCENT!?"

"VINCENT?" he laughed," WE SIMPLY KNOCKED HIM OUT. HE WON'T BE COMING ANYTIME SOON SO DON'T BANK ON HIM SAVING YOU!"

With that, the helicopter sped off, leaving me to dangle from the torch of the Statue of Liberty. Of all the things I wish I ever did, telling Vincent how I feel was one of them. There's no doubt about it, I'm sure I'm going to die.

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

_**~Vincent~**_

I woke up with a pounding headache. What the hell just happened? I sat up from my position and looked at my phone. 11:30 PM. Catherine should be—wait. I was literally just K.O.'ed a while ago. Oh no! Catherine!

I ran to her apartment and she wasn't there. I noticed her gun, badge and purse were all still here. She would never leave without her badge and gun. I hurried back to the warehouse as fast as possible to see if she was there. She wasn't.

I could feel my heart beating twice its speed and my muscles begin to ripple. I was angry and someone needed to pay.

I closed my eyes and listened for her heartbeat. If I focus just enough, I might be able to pinpoint her location.

Suddenly, I heard a small "VINCENT!" echo through the air.

She's somewhat nearby.

Keep calling, Catherine! I'm coming! I'm coming!"

**~BEAUTY AND THE BEAST~**

_**~Catherine~**_

"VINCENT!" I hollered for the seventh time, hoping he'd be able to hear me.

There was only five minutes left on the clock. This is it! This is how I'm going to die!

In effort to reach out to him again, I called his name. Suddenly, I heard a roar echo in the almost deafening silence. He's coming!

I looked back at the time. 4 minutes. He'll never make it. He'd have to jump halfway across the river in order to get here!

I screamed out his name again and then added, "THERE'S A BOMB, VINCENT!? IT'LL BLOW UP IN LESS THAN FOUR MINUTES!"

I squinted my eyes and saw a figure swimming as fast as lightening across the river. He was almost to the island!

2 minutes.

He was about 100 yards away.

1 minute.

10 yards.

30 seconds.

He was walking on the island. I saw the clock. 20 seconds.

"VINCENT! THERE'S NO MORE TIME!" I screamed as I shut my eyes. If I was going to die here and now, I didn't want to know when my end would be.

Suddenly, I heard a soft popping sound before I felt myself falling through the air; screaming my lungs out. In a few seconds, it'll all be over. 9.80 meters/ squared second. That's how fast I'm falling.

As I embraced for my end, I felt myself being jerked of my destined path. The next thing I know, I'm trying to keep myself from drowning. Vincent was able to save me in the nick of time!

I held onto him as if my life depended on it. He was still the Beast but yet, more human. Without a word, he took us to the warehouse and then said as we got to the upper level, "You need to remove your clothes. You might catch hypothermia."

I nodded as he tossed me a dry, large shirt from his dresser drawer. I walked to the bathroom and peeled off my clothes before slipping the shirt on. I walked out and sat down on the couch—not sure what else to say.

"This was my fault." Vincent suddenly said. "I should have been at your apartment waiting for you."

"Vincent, you couldn't have known that was going to happen!" I replied, walking towards him.

"You almost died, Catherine. How are you so calm about it?" He asked as his eyes started to glow.

I caressed his face and said, "Because, Vincent, you saved me—just like you always have."

"I almost didn't get there in time!"

"But you did, Vincent! You saved me again!" I smiled. "While I thought I was going to die, I saw things in a whole new light, Vincent. You know, this whole week, I was hoping to spend Christmas with you. In fact, all week I've been trying to get you a present but I couldn't think of the perfect one."

"Catherine—I don't need any gifts. Just being able to be with you each day is rewarding enough." Vincent whispered.

"I know…I realized that I shouldn't have been worrying about the gifts. I should have spent more time with you rather than trying to buy you a gift because, if tonight had ended differently, I wouldn't have seen you again. The thought is too unbearable. For years and years, I've never received the perfect Christmas gift. Partially, it's my own fault for always working during the holiday but I don't know why I didn't see it before, Vincent."

I absentmindedly tugged him towards his bed, bringing him on top of me. I wrapped my legs around his waist to trap him.

"Didn't see what before?" he asked in a light whisper as his breath tickled the nape of my neck.

"I didn't see that the one Christmas gift I always wanted was to be right here with you, Vincent. Right here in your arms and not at work or at home, eating a bowl of ice cream. I wanted to be with the man who captured my heart and that's you, Vincent." I said before pressing my lips to his.

I could feel he wanted this as much as I did but there were still…complications he wanted to sort through.

"Catherine…it's been a while….I don't know what would happen…."

"Shhhhhh…." I hushed him. "it has for me too."

"Yeah but—" before he could finish his thought, I captured his lips in mine for a second time. It took some heavy persuading on my part, but, as the night went on, he eventually submitted, allowing me to take him in completely.

It might seem selfish but it's the honest truth. All I wanted for Christmas was none other than the man in my arms, making love to me. Vincent Keller.

**Keiko Fujiwara: **

**Alright there was a Christmas Special! :D**

**Hope you liked it. It is 2:43 AM in the morning….I am going to bed. -_-**


End file.
